Thomas keee



2 Shets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

' T. KERR.

CABLE GRIP FOR CARS.

No. 353,361. Patented Nov. 30, 1886.

INVENTOR 9 BY wmmssss: 2% H ATTORNEYS.

her, Waihington. n c

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

T. KERR.

CABLE GRIP FOR CARS.

Patented Nov. 30; 1886.

WITNESSES flaw-Mb c INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

u, PETERS. Phohiillmgmphe UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEt THOMAS KERR, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.

CABLE-GRIP FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATIOII forming part of Le tters Patent No. 353,361, datedNovember 30, 1886.

Application filed March 13, 1885.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS KERR, of the city, county, and State of NewYorlqhave invented a new and Improved Cable-Grip for Cars, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention consists, principally, of a cable-grip provided withmeans for lifting the cable from the sheaves on which it runs up to andbetween the jaws of the grip.

The invention also consists in the employment of swingingjaws forgrasping the cable, and also of the means for operating the jaws; also,in providing the jaws with horizontallypivoted wheels to grasp the cableand start the car before the main jaws grasp the cable. I prefer to useopening and closing wheels for lifting the cable, and these, togetherwith the means for opening and closing them and means for raising andlowering them, also constitute a part of my invention..

The invention finally consists of the construction, arrangement, andcombination of parts, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in whichsimilar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my new and improved grip, showing thelifting-wheels below the cable ready for lifting it. Fig. 2 is an edgeview of the same, showing the liftingwheels lowered and open in fulllines and closed under the cable in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a similarview showing the lifting-wheels closed below the cable ready for liftingit. Fig. 4 is an edge view showing the position of the parts of the gripafter the cable has been raised and grasped by the jaws of the grip.Fig. 5 is atransverse sectional elevation taken on the line 00 w ofFig. 1. Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional plan views taken, respectively, onthe lines 3 y and z z of Figs. 1 and 2; and Fig.8 is an enlarged frontelevation of one of the jaws of the grip. Fig. 9is a detail view of thegrip closed on the cable, one jaw being in sec t-ion and the otherbroken away.

I employ two parallel rods, A A, held in hangers forming a part of orattached to the iron frame-pieces B B, and on these rods A A, I hinge,preferably by means of the hooks a a,

Serial No. 158,731 (No model.)

the jaws C O of the grip. Thejaws O are each composed of a shell, 0, ofwrought, cast, or sheetiron, filled with a filling, c, of wood, lead,brass, vegetable fiber, leather, or other soft metal or non-metallicmaterial, so that the jaws will present a grasping-surface to the cableW, which will not materially abrade or chafe it. The jaws G aresuspended from the said parallel rods A A between the sets of liftingdevices or wheels D D and their connections, which lifting devices areadapted to be opened and closed and lowered and raised for lifting thecable WV from the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, where itrests-upon the sheaves of the road, to the position shown in Figs. 4 and5, and in dotted lines in Fig.8, where it comes between the jaws 00inposition to be grasped by them.

The jaws G O are operated for causing them to grasp and release thecable 7 by a verticonsisting in this instance of the two toggle rods orconnections b b, attached to the jaws and crossed and hinged-at theirupper ends to the hinge-plate E. (Shown clearly in Fig. 7.) Thehingeplate E is attached to or formed with the vertically-movable rod orplate F, so that when the rod-F is lifted the plate E will also beraised, which will cause the toggle rods or levers I) b to spread thejaws G and release the cable.

The wheels D D are journaled on gudgeons cally-movable hinge-and-togglearrangement,

or short shafts attached to the lower ends of the arms or plates (1 d,which are hinged by pins or bolts e e to the plates G, attached to thevertically-movable rods or plates H H, so that by raising andloweringthe rods or plates H the wheels D D will accordingly be raised andloweredthat is, lowered to a position just below the cable W, as shownin Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and raised to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

At the time the wheels 1) Darelowered they are opened or spread awayfrom each other to straddle the cable XV, as shown in full lines in Fig.2, and before they are raised they are brought together below the cable,as shown in dotted lines in said Fig. 2, so that when raised they willlift the cable up between the jaws O G. For'operating the wheels D Dinthis manner-that is, for opening and closing them-I employ in thisinstance a vertically-movable hinge-and-toggle arrangement consisting ofthe toggle-leversff and the hingeplate J, attached to the lower end ofthe vertically-movable bar or plate J. The levers f f are attached attheir lower ends to the suspend-ing arms or plates (1 d and then crossedand hinged at their upper ends to the plate J, so that when the rod orplate J is forced downward levers f will act to spread the wheels D D,and when raised will act to close or draw them together. The plate Jworks between the two vertically-movable plates H, and reaches downthrough an opening, j, in plate G to the plate J, so that this latterplate is held immediately below the plate G.

In the jaws O O are journaled in the openings 0' c the horizontal wheelsK K, prefer ably two in each jaw, the wheels in one jaw being placedopposite to those in the other, and the wheels are concaved at theedges, as shown in the drawings, to fit and grasp the cable, and theconoaved edges of the wheels K reach into the grooves c" 0, madein thefilling material 0 of the jaws to receive the cable, so that the wheelswhen the jaws are closed will grasp the cable first, and to permit therollers K to yield-and allow the jaws themselves to close upon the cableI elongate their bearings and place in the same rubber or other springs70, as shown in Fig. 9. By this construction the wheels will be forcedoutward by the spring with sufficient force to grasp the cable and startthe car, and then (the car being started) thejaws will be closed, sothat the solid portions of the jaws will grasp the cable with a deadgrasp and effect a very secure and firm grip on the cable, so that therewill be no danger of the cable slipping. The wheels K serve asa yieldingor rolling grasp, so that the car 'partakes of the motion of the cablegradually, and these wheels prevent the cable from being marred andinjured by the jaws.

The hollow frames L,togetherwith the framepieces B, will be secured tothe bottoni of the car by suitable timbers, and the bars or plates F, H,and J pass up through the frames B L, so that they may be raised andlowered by levers and connections above the frame L, which are notshown, as they form no part of my present invention.

In order that no difficulty will be experienced with the grip in passingcurves in the track and cable, I form hinges B B and L L in theframepieces B and L, respectively, as shown in Fig. 1, so that theelevating and gripping mechanism may swing to the right or left to takeand follow the cable independent of the main body of the main frame ofthe grip.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the jaws or grasping devices of a cable-gripand a verticallymovable lifting device, of toggle levers for opening andclosing the lifting devices, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

2. The combination, with lifting-wheels and hinged arms carrying thesame, of asliding bara-nd toggle-levers connected to said bar and hingedarms, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The lifting devices D D, attached to the arms d,hinged to the platesG, in combination with the toggle-levers f f, attached to the arms d,and plate J, attached to the verticallymovable rod J, whereby thelifting devices may be opened and closed by raising and lowering the rodJ, substantially as described.

4. The hinged arms d d, carrying lifting devices D D at their lower endsand hinged at their upper ends to the plate G, attached to verticallymovable rods H, in combination with vertically-movable bar J, plate J,and toggle-levers ff, hinged to plate J and to arms d, whereby verticalmovement of rod J will open and close lifting devices D D and verticalmovement of plates H will raise or lower the whole lifting device,substantially as described.

5. The grasping-jaws 0, formed of a shell, 0, with a filling, c, of softmetal or nonanetallic substance, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

6. The combination, with the jaws G, of the yielding grasping-wheels K,journaled in the said jaws, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

7. The jaws O, hinged upon or suspended from suitable rods, A, incombination with the vertically movable rod F, plate E, and toggleleversb, hinged to the jaws and plate E, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

8. The frame-pieces B and L,.formed with THOMAS KERR.

Witnesses:

FRED \V. BECKER, H. A. WEsT.

ICC

